It’s not unusual for a coach to want to play their most important layer the most minutes. It means Ines trusts him. He did the same thing thing with Tatum. And Brown. He would do the same with Sengun if his defense wasn’t a liability
If you watched the game, Rockets wasn’t getting any calls driving, the 3s he took in the first half (3-4) in first few minutes of 1st qtr were wide open… he simply missed them he shot 5-11 from 3 in the second half.. that’s 55% one of the biggest improvements of JG game is he doesn’t let refs frustrate him, he adjusts to how they calling the game - instead of forcing himself to the rim and getting fouled (with no whistle) which then leads to a miss shot or TO…
He had to play 45min because FVV was getting cooked..Ime tried to sit JG to start the 4th and Grimes went on a 7-0 run on Fred…then they switched Fred on Butler and same thing (Also the midrange from side is one of JG best shots, we actually run that out of bounds play a few times a game now and he’s hitting them at a decent clip) he also hit one late in the 4th when we were attempting to come back…his FT line midrange seems to be the tougher shot (he seems to get blocked from behind a lot)
heck SGA went 2-11 from 3 recently…must ignore boxscore watchers…players are human it will be off nights but it’s the types of shots - if he taking open catch and shoot 3s and missing (it’s a off night) if he’s taking step back 3s with hand in his face… then that is horrible shot selection and he’s cut those step backs wayyyyyyy down
There was no one on the entire roster who could keep Grimes honest? I don't know if I agree with you here from the game I watched and to be honest I'm not sure I care. You can see how it affected his shooting and scoring so what was gained exactly? It's a wash in terms of defense and offense. On the side midrange, it's not really relevant if it's a decent clip. The point of that is: if your TS% is below what you should be right now, what can someone possibly do to improve it? The only thing you can do is take fewer of your least efficient shots. He has a higher PPS at the rim, at the FT line midrange, above the break 3, corner 3 and transition. So what do you do? Big scorers are never taking their 6th best shot and that's something he has to learn. When you're good at a lot of things, sometimes you have to let go of a good thing to achieve a great thing. It's a new phase he's entering in his career and his game has to mature with him. You will rarely see a big scorer taking a massive variety of shots unless they're nearing the MVP conversation.
You're talking about a whole different subject. You're talking about leading the team in minutes for best players which is normal. That's fine and everyone is ok with what you're describing. What I'm talking about is the maniacal behavior of going way past that limit purely based on emotions and total disregard for the long term good of the team. At least if you HAVE to do it like in this game, then balance it out in the next games. Udoka doesn't do that, he acts like it never happened. If the ASB comes, he then pushes everyone again past the limit the very next game. We just came off a week of Thibs acting like a total psycho denying in front of the media that he had a conversation with Bridges about overplaying starters. There's no sense in it, the medical and scientific and basketball community have all moved on from this debate. It won't work and he's going to scare tough minded confident superstars away from us. He's just avoiding his responsibility. He's fully aware that some people want to play even when they're fatigued and other players need to be pushed a little. Jalen Green does not need to be pushed to play, he needs to coach to do the opposite for him, be the balance. Otherwise, doing what coach wants becomes a recipe for injuring yourself, and when you're injured he will call it a freak accident that no one can prove. It's just really really weak and dumb to do this. Risking Sengun, Amen and Jalen long term health is NOT worth a couple of extra wins. These things are NOT harmless, players who play for these coaches often see problems for years even after those coaches are fired. Someone's got to watch out for the Houston Rockets here.
sometimes you have to look at what works in the game at the moment and how a team is defending ..there are grey areas… him coming off a screen and getting a wide open look (side midrange) is prob over 80% the last 5-8 games … it’s to the point I’m shocked when he misses it. His FT midrange isn’t great because he gets so much attention when he drives and the paint is usually clogged.. which then becomes a big in his face and the person he drove by recovering as he goes up for the shot ( he needs to develop the SGA off arm shove) that would create more space. Dillion took over for FVV on Grimes and Tari tried also…Grimes was super hot from 3 and was getting a really nice whistle last night …you tip your hat to Grimes and Tari needs to grow up and learn to shut up after he fouls out…him and FVV are the only reasons the game went to OT (gifting FTs with tech/flagrant foul)
We have to agree to disagree here brother. Sometimes you have to take a step back and look at the big picture. We're talking about a guy shooting 36.4% on 2pters from midrange and getting close to 0 FT's on that (unlike all other shots). Relying on recent data has never been a good idea with him, I know he can get hot from anywhere. His whole career, he has had a higher % at the FT line area including this season. That's the rhythm shot, that's the last resort shot. We can't now have a rhythm shot for the rhythm shot, you know what I mean? Another big picture thing is: there seems to be an assumption he has to take the shot. He doesn't. Aside from the 5 other options he has to take a shot, there are also 4 other players on the court who score better from various zones. He can just pass the ball. If we were in a development stage I get it, but this is playoff time. I can't see an argument that he really really needs to take the 6th best type of shot available to him. I get that he's good at it, but we and he are just at a level where good is not good enough. He can totally pass the ball or get to another spot. If the defense is so tight that he can't get to the rim, the FT line midrange, above the break 3 or corner 3 - it's like why are you so desperate to take this shot? Jabari guarded closely anywhere on the 3PT line has a higher % than that shot. Honestly the team deserves it too. We're not living and dying by Jalen like that, I think it's just cutting too much slack for Jalen here. Trust me I love how that shot looks and feels too, but think about it there's 4 other guys out there and 36% on 2's where you basically never get FT's is sooooooooo low down the chain of what's possible. The best play imo is to pass the ball if things are as tight as you're saying. That's always an option in anything but end of clock situations. Always appreciate your analysis though bro.
once again you are too deep into your head - I can shoot 70% from side midrange and shoot 40% from FT midrange … that means the side midrange is the higher % shot for (ME) - He takes the side midrange shot 2x a game at most, and 98% of the time it’s a inbound play from under the basket…it’s not as deep as you are making it out to be
Jalen Green is 23 years old. He turned 23 on 2/9/2025. But that is the age a lot of guys used today be when they came to the league as rookie’s in the 80’s and 90’s. So he is the equivalent of a 2nd year player if he’d of come to the league in the 1980’s when elite guys ditched college for the pros after their junior seasons. Based in what Jalen is showing, his floor is going to be very good for sustainable NBA viability, it’s his ceiling that is of questionable nature. As of now I’m seeing a fringe all-star dude, but if his shooting magically get more consistent, he can go to that next plateau.
Or you just alil slow… he shot 50% from field 8/16 and 45% from 3 5-11 Common Sense isn’t your strong suit…is it
Ok I have no idea why you've dug your heels in but maybe you're just in the mood for a debate. I'm game. If you believe it's not a big deal then just say that so that I understand you don't care about the efficiency. Then no data in the world can change your mind so really you're just shouting out a belief. If he's shooting well from there, I will instantly change my position. This is not one of those situations where within the flow of the game sometimes you have to do it. These are shots he doesn't have to take. If he takes them when the clock is winding down or in a desperate situation that's fine. That's not happening twice a game. That would be absurd. If you're saying he's making them at a good rate, I'm sorry but you're just saying something false. It's the worst shot Jalen Green takes on a basketball court. There's no one who needs the comfort of those shots at a low%, literally no one. I'm not telling you it's a bad shot for everyone, I'm specifically talking about his %'s. It doesn't matter if you make them say a higher rate, Jalen Green is a terrible midrange scorer this season. They're atrocious, horrible, garbage percentages. It's no different than Cam or Sengun or Amen taking 2 bad shots. Why on earth would we be ok with someone taking the worst shot on the floor? You think he's getting open?? That's just the other team letting him take a bad shot and him falling for it. If you think taking 2 bad shots is immaterial to a young player looking to improve his overall TS%, you're also objectively wrong about that. That's not a good shot for Jalen Green but more importantly it's a terrible shot for the Houston Rockets. Every month he's taking fewer stupid shots and it's plain and simple: shot selection is about taking more of the ones you're good at and less of the ones you're not as good at. Those abhorrently negative shots can be replaced by good passes or shots that may result in FT's or instilling confidence in his teammates or an innumerable number of other better opportunities. If you're happy with this, maybe you're just not seeing what Green is capable of. Don't put that on me, I know he's headed for bigger things than that. If you're content to brush it under the rug with some generalized short phrase just because you're a fan of a player, then we must be different fans because Rockets always always come first for me.
We are in the Twilight Zone now. I agree with just about everything you say here. When Jalen removes poor shot selection early in the shot clock as a flaw, that would prove he is a mature player that better realizes his limitations. I had him on blast last season on the forum for this specific issue and finally got tired of talking about it.
Like probably most I have given up on Jalen a couple of times. However Jalen Green really is the Numero Uno. Year four, but not year three. As many experts have said scoring guards take longer.
What is puzzling is his free throw rate actually was pretty good his second season. It's just plummeted now. Wonder how much of it is refs calling him differently vs. him not accentuating contact like the star players who get to the line more. That will be the difference on if he can get his ppg up to mid/high 20s or not in later seasons.
Do you honestly believe the "refs calling him differently" might be the reason why his FTs are down? Sigh! For some of us, blaming the player is sooo hard. It's much easier to blame the refs, the coach or the organization.
